When it comes to pedals, I have a sickness, and the only cure is more knobs. That’s why I found the 4ms Tremulus Lune to be one of the best tremolo circuits out there. One schematic and you can build a pedal with up to 6 knobs, and there are times when I do prefer having more features to fewer. So for this build, I elected to include the diodes for the symmetry mod, as well as 5 other knobs (Spacing, Smoothness, Gain, Depth, and Speed) which allow for so much control and shaping options over the amplitude envelope.
As a beginner, the Tremulus Lune was one of the first circuits I built, and I was really happy with the results once I got it to work properly. It was a relatively simple circuit to build with a parts count that isn’t particularly outrageous. I had initially built it on vero board with Harold Sabro’s layout. Then when I got the hang of building on perf board, I took some time to study the schematic, and came up with a layout that matched my vision for the pedal itself. Here is that layout (updated 2/6/2019):
And here is the end result:
I elected to drill the knobs on the side, but I think given the layout it would be fairly easy to build this on a more classically aligned pedal design (knobs on the front face, jacks on the sides). My wife also made a 3D design for a mini knob that covers the small gain trimpot, which I’ve placed at the front side of the pedal. The whole thing fits very nicely into a 1590B.
Update (2/6/2019):
* The layout has been updated (thanks to user @lesgoob!)
* For anyone interested in a ready-made PCB for this DIY project, check out the webstore.
Hello,
First of all, congratulations for your work around this project.
I am trying to build a Tremolo Moon circuit following your directions.
I’m not sure I understand some points and I like to have your help, at least you agree.
So, I have some questions :
– Is LED D2 connected to the two yellow dots above D1 (parallel to R16)?
– I dont understand your value of 1Mr for the photocell. I use a 0.2M 5k-10k because it’s the only one I could find. I don’t know if it’s a problem.
– Is R13 value really 330kr? In the original scheme this resistance is 330r (I put 330r imagining that you were mistaken).
My achievement does not work. I watch editing since the hours but I do not understand this problem. Can you help me.
Greg (a French guy)
@lesgoob Hi, Greg! Thanks for watching and for leaving your comment! As to your questions:
1. Yes, in the layout, LED D2 is positioned above the two yellow dots to which it is supposed to connect.
2. You can ignore the value of the photocell written in the BOM, I was just trying to maintain consistency in the program I was using to draw the layout (DIYLC).
3. Yes, R13 is supposed to be 330R! I also got tripped up on this mistake until I fixed it on my own build – I must have forgotten to update my own layout before posting. Thanks for catching this!
Hi Greg – I am just revisiting this now. I found out that on my build, the 78L09’s I’ve been using have a reversed pinout from what is indicated in the layout. I socketed mine and inverted it and suddenly I got it working again, so see if this works out for you as well.
I Daniel,
My built works now!
No problem with my 9v controller (I used a 7809 instead of the 78L09 schema).
But I found an error in your layout with the position of R4. I noticed this by comparing with the Dann Green schematic: you have to place R4 between 8 (9v) and 5 of the TL072.
Everything is ok now for me.
This Tremolo Lune is a really excellent effect!
Thank you again for your work which helped me a lot for my realization.
Greg
Hi Greg – your build looks AMAZING!! Well done, especially on the cool artwork! And thanks for sending corrections, I will make the necessity adjustments and republish the layout.